The Night Watchman

Tales of the Unknown vs. Odins Revenge
Pitch: Flat Weather: Windy
Result: Odins Revenge won by 6 wickets
MOTM: Herjan Gunnblindi (3/47)
Match Ratings: TotU:149,138 OR:146,666

Tales of the Unknown were desperate to get their first win on the board and things started well, with Samad winning the toss and electing to bat first. Odins Revenge were so far unbeaten and early into the match, it was no surprise why. Their talented bowlers were no match for the underperforming batsmen of the home side and apart from a 100 run partnership from Suman and Sauce; the batting displayed lacked any real purpose. Being bowled out for 217 in the conditions was unacceptable.

In reply, the travelling batsmen hardly looked troubled and other than Gizurr, all of the batsmen contributed. Half centuries to Eylúðr and Brathwaite ensured that Odins Revenge cruised to an easy 6 wicket victory with 10 overs to spare.

Once again Tales of the Unknown were out rated in the bowling department and unless this gets rectified, they could be in for a long season. MOTM probably should have gone to Fjolnir, who destroyed the tope order, but Gunnblindi got the nod.

Roke Island XI vs. HG/Origin Peregrines
Pitch: Uneven Weather: Cloudy
Result: HG/Origin Peregrines won by 63 runs
MOTM: George Beurling (6/36)
Match Ratings: RI:149,360 HGOP:170,417

Coming off a close loss last week, Roke Island XI were hoping to get their 2^nd win on the board and kick start their IYL campaign against the unbeaten HG/Origin Peregrines. Wiltshire won the toss and decided to have a bat. A wicket in the first over and it looked like it would be a long day for the batsmen. Luckily for them, only one bowler managed to use the conditions to his advantage. Beurling was brutal with the ball and he picked up wickets with ease. The away side scraped together 183 runs, with the highlight 88 from Stapleton-Cotton.

Inspired by Beurling’s performance, Wiltshire, Thomas and Rodwell showed they too knew how to get the most out of the conditions and combined for 9 of the 10 wickets that fell during Roke Island XI’s innings. The batsmen tried in vein but they couldn’t string together any meaningful partnerships and in the end, fell well short of the required total.

Roke Island XI were outclassed in all areas so were up against it all day. There was no doubting that Beurling was MOTM. If only other in his team had followed suit, the result could have been different.

Yardley Massive vs. wakatipu
Pitch: Crumbling Weather: Cloudy
Result: wakatipu won by 140 runs
MOTM: Dwayne Dibbley (4/12)
Match Ratings: YM: 144,453 WAK: 161,189

It was a battle of the only other teams not to win a match thus far. For the winner, it was a chance to move up. For the loser, it was time to start preparing for a relegation battle. The home side won the toss and decided the best way to win, was to get out and have a bowl. With the Chiswicket’s back in the sheds with less than 50 on the board, you could forgive some of the away supporters who left early. Turner and Moffat showed their class, putting on almost 200 runs, with both narrowly missing out on well deserved centuries. wakatipu finished on 237, which was a good score given the conditions.

Would the gamble of playing three finger spinners pay off? Signs looked good early, with O’Reilly removing both openers, before Cooper and Francis steadied the innings. Enter Braybrook and Dibbley, the finger spinning equivalent to Ambrose and Walsh. With a combination of skill and guile, they spun their side to a 140 run victory and a nice NRR boost.

wakatipu were selected better for the conditions and despite their mighty top order once again failing, their spinners were more than enough for what Yardley Massive had to offer. Dibbley secured the MOTM award, but was happy to share the spoils with his spin twin.

North Merseyside CC vs. Yorkshire Tykes
Pitch: Sticky  Weather: Cloudy
Result: Yorkshire Tykes won by 8 wickets
MOTM: Zafar Patel (4/18)
Match Ratings: NMCC:161,003 YT: 163,377

It was the stuff that gave batsmen nightmares, a sticky pitch with some cloud in the sky. Mercado won the toss and rightly decided to have a bowl first. Looking as nervous as new recruits to the front line, the opening batsmen took guard and prepared for the battle. With new ball in hand, Patel starting lobbing grenades and before the commentators had time to finish their cups of tea, five batsmen had been and gone. The lower order battled on, but the damage had already been done.

Melton and Dries set about chasing the small total, but a lapse in concentration and Dries was stumped without really helping. Looking as solid as a rock, Melton formed mini partnerships with Mercado and Morton, scoring a half century along the way. The Tykes comfortable winners by 8 wickets.

These two teams rated pretty evenly, but with only a small total to defend, North Merseyside CC’s better seam bowlers were never given a chance. Patel was MOTM, with Pite runner up.

Round 4

Odins Revenge v Roke Island XI

The team from Australia should be too strong here and would be expected to keep their unbeaten run going.

wakatipu v Tales of the Unknown

deltronzero has been working hard to correct the problems with his bowlers and things look promising. If wakatipu fire, they will have too much strength and it could be another long day for the visitors.

North Merseyside CC v Yardley Massive

Despite the expected gap in ratings, this game could turn out to be a close one. North Merseyside CC should have enough in the tank to post their second win of the comp.

Yorkshire Tykes v HG/Origin Peregrines

With the rivalry sitting at 1-5, the Tykes haven’t enjoyed playing the team from the West Indies. JuJoh’s men have been in impressive form thus far, but they have to lose some time and round four could be that time.